"You're working here now?" A familiar voice snaps. I was going to look up
to see who it was, but having heard his voice, I decide it would be much more
fun not to let him see my eyes. God, that man is stubborn.

"Hello, Toby. How are you? Me? Oh, I'm just fine." I reply playfully as I
make another mark on the report. Shouldn't a requirement of a job in
Washington D.C. be knowing how to spell? I can hear him start to pace in
front of my desk. What is it that is bothering him so much?

"It's Mr. Ziegler to you." He retorts dryly. I smile and can't help but
chuckle. I still won't give him the satisfaction of seeing my eyes, and
instead I continue to at least pretend like I'm working.

"That's what you've told me from the beginning, but have I listened?" I
reply. He pauses. I assume he's trying to think of something witty, sarcastic
and perhaps even insulting to say to me next.

"You can't work here. Okay? You can't?" He insists. I look up at him,
curiosity now written across my face. Why can't I work here? What's it to
him? He can just stay cooped up in his office or something. Better yet,
whenever he's feeling angry, he can come down the hall and blame me for
whatever he wants to. Isn't that what he likes to do? As I stare at him, he
pauses, staring back, starting to get engrossed in something I don't
recognize. A strand of hair falls into my face and I reach up to push it
back. He looks away and continues pacing.

"Why not?" I ask. "Because you don't like me?" I half-tease in amazement.
Is he going to attempt to tell me where I can and cannot work? The nerve of
this guy. He pauses and then nods resolutely.

"Absolutely. I don't like you. That works for me." He exclaims with
something that could resemble a smirk. I hate it when he smirks. It makes him
almost likable. I throw the report on my desk and get to my feet. He seems to
lean back, as if praying for something while at the same time getting ready
for some confrontation. I walk around the desk and lean against the front of
it, his eyes on me the whole time, and mine on him. Is it just me or is he
staring at me? If I didn't know this man better, I'd say he's staring at my
legs.

"That hardly makes sense." I finally say. "Besides, you only don't like
me because I'm too much like you, and you despise that." I add with a playful
grin. He glares at me, but it's a weak glare, one that I doubt he truly
believes in. He brushes his jacket back off his sides and rests his hands on
his waist by his pockets. God, it's kind of sexy the way he does that. Shut
up, Brody. You're arguing with the jackass for crying out loud.

"Well, if that's true, then we only need one of our kind in this office."
He says matter-of-factedly. "I got here first, so get out." He adds. I can't
help but chuckle. I feel like I'm standing in an old western. He's got his
hands by his hips, ready to draw at any moment. Part of me realizes that he
if he does draw the big guns, I might not be able to respond to him. This man
has a presence to him, and I admit, sometimes it's kind of intimidating.

"What's next? This House ain't big enough for the two of us?" I ask
playfully.

"Didn't I just say that?" He exclaims.

"I've got a job here. I signed a contract." I say seriously. This is
starting to get old fast. He can't keep me from having a job wherever I want.
If I want to work here, I will, whether he likes it or not.

"I'll burn the damn thing." He retorts with a mindless shrug. I admit now
I'm getting a little irritated. He sees something in me that makes him tilt
his head. What does he see?

"You have no legitimate reason to not want me working here." I say
sharply but softly. I can feel my lips tremble slightly and thank God that's
the only part of me that's trembling. Part of me wants to hit this guy right
now, but there's something in this room and I don't think hitting him would
help very much.

"You're immature, arrogant, a slacker and I have *no* doubts that you
have a criminal record." He counts off.

"You just can't find out for sure." I tease. Oh, maybe this can be fun
after all.

"Your file's been secured by the Bureau. They won't let me see it." He
replies, an obvious hint of disappointment in his voice. I can't help but
grin.

"I know. They called me the moment you made the request." I notify him
almost smugly. Part of me wants to chalk one up for Brody, but I hardly know
why. I have some power over him now, don't I?

"Why is your file classified?" He snaps. He doesn't like to be teased.

"Because they just love me so much." I reply playfully. Just because he
doesn't like it, doesn't mean I don't have fun doing it.

"Very funny. You can't work here. It's a security risk." He says slowly.
I snort and try not to laugh.

"Oh, yeah right. If it were such an issue, Jed and Leo wouldn't have
asked me in the first place." I point. I want to add 'don't you trust them'
but he's too fast for me. God, is this what working here is going to be like?
Maybe I should leave, just to get away from this. I must say though, it's
adorable the way his nostrils flare. Nope, stop it. Stop thinking like that.

"They're personally biased." He snaps.

"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black." I retort quickly.
I'm losing patience and I can tell that he is too. He pauses and I realize
that I'm having some sort of affect on him, but it's not getting me anywhere.
He sighs and steps slightly closer, his nostrils flaring again, just a
little.

"There is a very specific balance in this office, a balance that has been
nearly 18 months in the making. You can't just come out of nowhere and expect
to be a part of the team." He explains softly, calming down considerably
since the last time he spoke but still speaking kind of harshly. I pause,
absorbing this statement of his and nod hesitantly.

"You're saying that I'm upsetting this balance? Already?" I ask softly.
He makes a little sense, but something tugs at the back of my mind.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying." He confirms, a little surprised. Maybe he
expected me to bite his head off again. I smirk slightly and try to act less
upset than I am. I like this guy, he's a good person, and his approval means
a lot to me. It occurs to me now how upsetting it is to argue with him.

"Sounds more like I'm just upsetting you." I say finally, my voice firm
but somewhat playful. He pauses and stares at me, his eyes reaching into
mine. God, he's six inches away and those eyes are staring into me. I shift
in my stance a little, his gaze unnerving me slightly. This wouldn't be so
hard if he didn't have those eyes. He starts moving towards me, closing in on
me with an almost determined look on his face. Our eyes are locked but I
can't help but move away. We're moving at the same pace, me backwards, him
towards me, and our eyes are locked. What the hell is he doing?

I open my mouth to ask him, but he raises a finger. He seems to be taking
charge of this situation and I'm not sure how I feel about that. He's still
moving towards me and he's slightly closer now. I think I know what he's
doing, and if I'm right, which part of me doubts highly, then I don't
disapprove, but I can't be sure. I try to clear my throat and open my mouth
again, but the finger appears again, and I say nothing. Suddenly I feel the
desk behind me, stopping my retreat, but he's still moving closer, the same
determined look on his face.

"Toby . . ." I say nervously and try to smile. "I know you're upset but
please don't kill me. You would be the prime suspect, you know?" I add,
trying to joke around, but I was seriously beginning to think he was gonna
wrap his fingers around my neck and throttle me. He's threatened to before.
He is close to me now, slipping his hands to grip the desk on either side of
my legs and growing closer. I close my eyes in time to feel his lips against
mine.

It was a gentle kiss, tender and unwaveringly sincere. I haven't been
kissed in a long time, and he feels so wonderful against me. I kiss him back,
my lips moving against his. I can feel his hand slip on to my hip and slowly
move up my back, stroking me gently. I can't help but shiver a little as his
other hand clasps my shoulder blades and pulls me close to him as our kiss
becomes more passionate. His hands rest in the small of my back and against
my spine as he holds me close and locks his mouth against mine. He pulls me
closer as I wrap my hands around his neck and he kisses me even more fiercely
as time goes by, and I find that it feels incredibly wonderful in his arms. I
can't help but moan softly as I feel his tongue slip in next to mine.

And then the stupidest thing happened.

"Hey, KD, I was wondering if-" Josh Lyman has to interrupt. I pull away
as Toby does and glare at Josh. He's standing in the doorway with his jaw
dropped to the floor. I can tell he wants to grin like an idiot. I resist the
urge to roll my eyes and look nervously at the floor. I feel so warm as I can
tell that my face is blushing, but slowly returning to normal.

"Perhaps I should have knocked." Josh says in a soft murmur.

"Yeah, maybe." I whisper, staring at the scuff mark on my shoe. I have to
polish that. Josh nods and innocently holds up a packet of papers. He makes
motions with them and moves his lips, but it's as if his vocal cords are no
longer working. He steps forward and puts them on my desk before trying to
move out of the room as fast as he can, closing the door behind him.

Silence in the room. Talk about an awkward moment.

I stare at my feet some more, trying to figure out what has just
happened. Did Toby Ziegler kiss me? Well, his right hand is still nestled in
the small of my back. That's pretty good evidence that he did. Did I kiss him
back? My arm is resting on his. His body is still pressed against mine and I
don't mind in the least. That's pretty good evidence that I did. Does this
mean he'll let me work here now? Suddenly I feel his fingers brushing my chin
and lifting my gaze to meet his. We stare into each other's eyes and all I
can think is, God, those eyes. I'm trying to find something in those eyes
that says that he doesn't regret what he did or what I did. Soemthing that
says he is glad we did this. As glad as I am.

I smile weakly at him, still staring into his eyes. He smiles back, and I
think that's a good sign. I reach up and gently stroke his ear with my index
finger. He leans forward, and I find myself closing my eyes again as he
tastes my lips gently. It doesn't take nearly as long for the passion to
appear between us this time as he pulls me closer and begins to explore my
mouth, begins to let me explore his. I tighten my arms around his neck and
lean into him, kissing him intensely and loving every second of it. I forget
about Josh Lyman and anybody else that might be in this planet. I just love
the feeling of being in Toby Ziegler's arms and it feels even better as he
tightens his clasp around me.

So naturally that's when someone else has to come along and knock on the
damn door. To my surprise, Toby does something I never could have imagined
him doing.

"Go away." He snaps as he pulls away from me for a second before kissing
me again. I smile through his lips but then hold him tighter and return the
kiss. He holds me closer and starts to lean me down against the desk. It's an
almost playful gesture and I can't help but giggle slightly before kissing
him very seriously and letting him lean me back.

"Toby, is that you?" CJ's confused voice asks from behind the door,
reminding us that this is an office and not the Chapel of Love, some place
for us to make out. He pulls away from me slightly to sigh and then rest his
head in my neck as we sit upright again. He starts to nuzzle my neck gently,
much the same way he did a month ago, that night when we danced. He feels so
good, resting his head there, and I can't help but chuckle and trail my
finger gently up the back of his neck. Do I have the right to touch him this
way now?

"Do I still upset you?" I whisper playfully. He lifts his head to look
into my eyes and smiles. He tenses his face playfully, pretending to think
about it. I chuckle as I wait for him to 'decide'. He smirks and nods.

"Absolutely." He murmurs almost seductively as his thumb strokes up
underneath my shirt and tenderly tickling the skin of my back. I want to
murmur and kiss him again, but the day . . .

"KD, are you in there?" CJ's voice calls again, this time a little more
impatiently. I look at the door as I remember and bite my lip slightly before
looking back at him. I smile weakly.

"Yeah, I'm coming, CJ." I call back. "Reluctantly." I add as I linger in
his warm arms and then hesitantly pull myself away. It's not as easy for me
to shout 'go away' especially now that the mood has been broken. I feel his
eyes on me as I walk to the door and open it. CJ is standing there with a
curious, playful grin on her face, and I can just tell that some teasing is
going to come out of this. Behind her, several of the people in the pullpen
are looking towards my office. I hope I'm not blushing. This is a kind of new
experience for me.

"What were you two doing?" CJ exclaims playfully. If I didn't know any
better, I'd say she was excited. I shoot her a glare. Grow up, CJ. But
somewhere I acknowledge the fact that she's playfully hinting at something
that actually did happen, whether I want to admit it to the White House staff
or not.

"Nothing." Toby replies suddenly. I look at him and I can tell that he's
embarrassed. I've embarrassed him. "I have to go. I've got a . . ." He pauses
nervously. "Uh, a statement to write for when the president goes to the floor
tomorrow. I'll see you later, CJ." He pauses and looks at me and tries not to
let that same softness that I know he has into his voice. "KD." He adds and
then moves out of the room as quickly as he can. I close the door behind him
and then glance at CJ who is grinning like an idiot. I roll my eyes and move
to sit down while she watches me.

"Stop looking at me like that." I say with a shy grin and try to find
something to do with my hands. All I can think about though is Toby Zeigler,
even as CJ sits in an armchair watching me and a man arrives to give me a
couch.


. . . . TBC . . . .